


Support

by Wishful86



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Fits in with current eps- spoilery, Gen, Gordon referenced but nothing explicit, Hope, Outbursts of emotion, Support
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-07
Packaged: 2018-05-25 09:25:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6189034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wishful86/pseuds/Wishful86
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aaron finds Marlon crying in the kitchen and offers support. Then later he overhears Marlon discussing him with Chas...</p>
<p>My first Emmerdale fic but as always I hope you enjoy.</p>
<p>(Now formatted how I want! Thank you for those who have already left Kudos)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Support

Aaron padded down the stairs steadily. He had been hold up in his room for a few hours. The trial date was looming and despite his best efforts he was struggling with nerves. There were times when he needed to be alone. This particular afternoon had been one of them; he’d started the day at work fine but then everything just became too loud. His thoughts, the company; his head was overcrowded so he quietly excused himself and left a concerned but understanding Robert and Adam behind.  
  
He knew that Doug and Diane were out causing mayhem at the B&B therefore his mum would be covering the bar so the chances that the backroom would be empty were high. This was good; he could fix himself a sandwich and go unnoticed. However, as he entered the living room area, he couldn’t help but notice Marlon leaning onto the kitchen worktop with his head in his hands. Something was not right. Aaron debated for a second whether he should turn around and leave but when he caught what was unmistakably a sob from the chef, he instinctively forged forwards unable to leave someone in distress.  
  
“Marlon?” Aaron questioned softly.  
  
The chef turned quickly and immediately began rubbing his eyes furiously, “Oh Aaron. Hey. I was just, just...sorry, I'll be...” He gestured to the door and then turned back round to grab his hat that had fallen off on to the counter.  
  
Aaron stepped further across the room before Marlon could leave, “Marlon, what’s up?”  
  
Turning to face the younger man again, Marlon shrugged unconvincingly, “Nothing. Nothings up.”  
  
“Clearly it is.”  
  
“No no...”  
  
Shaking his head, Aaron pointed to the bar, “Should I get my mum...or Paddy?”  
  
“No, no,” Marlon protested again, “Please don’t,” tears started to well up in his eyes again and he unsuccessfully tried to swipe them away.  
  
Aaron sighed. He didn’t like seeing the normally cheery man so upset but he wasn’t quite sure what he could do so despite Marlon’s words, he started towards the pub, “Right, I'm getting...”  
  
Marlon stopped him with desperate cry, “It’s April and Leo. I'm failing them.”  
  
At this outburst, Aaron faced him and frowned, “What? I really doubt-“  
  
But Marlon wasn’t finished and he began gesturing wildly as his worries spilled out, “I am trying, trying so hard to divide my time equally between them but I'm stretched at the pub and, and I thought they would be OK playing together, you know, but I didn’t take April on board enough and Leo is acting out and...God! I feel like the world's worse dad.”  
  
There was a moment of silence and then Aaron snorted lightly causing Marlon to look at him angrily, “Oh I’m glad you find this funny.”  
  
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Aaron sighed, “I’m not laughing- it’s just you are far, far from being the world’s worst dad.”  
  
Marlon narrowed his brow until a dark realisation dawned on him and his eyes widened, “Oh God, I’m sorry.”  
  
Aaron knew immediately where Marlon’s train of thought had gone; Gordon. And even though, Aaron couldn’t deny his own had gone there too briefly, this wasn’t about him and he quickly tried to explain, “No, I didn’t mean... I meant the fact that you are having this meltdown or whatever it is proves you aren't.”  
  
“How do you work that out?” Marlon asked, now confused.  
  
“Because it shows how much you care,” Aaron stated giving him half a smile.  
  
The chef bowed and shook his head, “But I’m failing.”  
  
Aaron stared at the man in front of him in disbelief for a second. How could Marlon think he was failing? Marlon was so brilliant with April and Leo; everyone could see it. Marlon was a dad you wish you had. Aaron wished he…No, Aaron couldn’t let his own thoughts stray to Gordon again right now. He stepped closer to Marlon and spoke gently but firmly, “Marlon, listen to me, you are not failing. You're a bit stressed at the moment.”  
  
Blinking back up at the younger man with wet eyes, Marlon shrugged, “But I don’t know how to make it better.”  
  
“Talk to someone,” Aaron stated plainly.  
  
“What? And have them think I can't cope?”  
  
Aaron ran a hand down his face, suddenly feeling tired, “Look, I know I am the last person to ask for it but we all need help sometimes.”  
  
Marlon huffed out a breath in what sounded like tentative agreement so Aaron continued, “Better to get it sooner rather than later.” Then he tilted his head and finished with a whispered admission, “I'm still learning that though.”  
  
The older man heard him and looked back up at the younger man who had battled through so much. Then after what seemed like an age of deliberation he finally nodded, “Yeah, yeah, you're right.”  
  
“Right,” Aaron mirrored him in nodding, “You going to be OK?”  
  
Marlon smiled. It wasn’t as bright and bold as was his norm but it was true and it held a hint of relief, “I think I will be.”  
  
“Good,” Aaron smiled a small smile back and he felt a sudden surge of warmth in his chest. He supposed it was nice being able to offer someone else support for a change. Although the feeling of tiredness hadn’t abated and he couldn’t quite remember why he had left his room.  
  
Marlon noticed how the younger man’s smile dropped and how he had begun to drift into his own thoughts. He immediately felt guilty for his outburst. Aaron had enough to deal with, “Sorry for, you know,” he gestured to his eyes as explanation.  
  
Aaron’s attention returned and he wrinkled his nose, “Yeah, because I haven’t cried at all around here lately.”  
  
“Completely understandable,” the chef stated firmly.  
  
“So is this,” Aaron replied in kind. They both smiled.  
  
“Thanks, Aaron,” Marlon bobbed his head and stood up away from the counter.  
  
“Don’t mention it,” Aaron shrugged. He stepped sideways slightly so that Marlon could walk passed him but then called him back, “Marlon?”  
  
Marlon turned, “Hmmm?”  
  
Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Aaron fiddled with the sleeves of his jumper, “I know you've been there for my mum recently so thank you.”  
  
The chef put a brief hand on Aaron’s shoulder, “Don't mention it,” he said echoing the younger man’s words before he continued to the kitchen.  
  
Aaron was left stood in the living room alone. He glanced around, still pulling at his jumper. He had wanted to be alone earlier but now the quiet seemed too much. Deciding that Adam and Robert would probably still be at the yard, he headed off to find his coat.  
  
…  
  
It wasn’t much later when Aaron was hanging his coat back up in the hallway of the pub. Robert and Adam were close to finishing up when he had reached the yard so he had helped and then suggested a drink. However, as he took a minute to flick through his phone, his concentration drifted to a conversation just inside the pub kitchen door; it was Marlon talking so he decided to listen to see if the man appeared better than earlier;  
  
“Chas, I've had to jiggle the special boards around a bit- the soup is now carrot and coriander,” Marlon said.  
  
“Carrot and coriander. Right,” his mum replied. Everything seemed normal then.  
  
“Oh and I decided to try out a new sticky toffee pudding recipe. I know my old one was brilliant but expect the compliments to come flooding in,” Marlon boasted. Aaron couldn’t help but roll his eyes upon hearing this; everything was definitely back to normal. He shoved his phone back in his pocket and was about to continue through to the bar when he heard his mum,  
  
“Ok, I'll get prepared. Hey, you seem brighter?” So his mum had noticed something was wrong with the chef?  
  
“Yeah, I sat down with Paddy and Rhona, you know, proper talk and Carly's helping out so-“ Good, Marlon had got help, Aaron thought.  
  
“Good, that’s good.” He heard his mum agree.  
  
“It was your Aaron though.” Aaron froze as he heard Marlon’s words.  
  
“What was?” He could hear the confusion in his mum’s voice.  
  
Then Marlon sighed, “I was upset again. In the back.”  
  
“What did he-“  
  
“He listened. Told me I should ask for help.” Aaron remained frozen as Marlon explained to Chas.  
  
“Really?” His heard a wobble in his mum’s voice. Was that pride? And then a muttered, “Wish he'd take his own advice.”  
  
“He said that too.”  
  
“Oh.”  
  
“Chas, look, I can't tell him- he'll think it’s weird and uncomfortable- but I think your Aaron is so strong. To be going through all that he is and still… And still have time to listen to a lanky chef having a minor meltdown...About being a dad, of all things...well, he has such a big heart. We're all here for him, you know. I hope he knows.”  
  
Aaron gulped in air that he seemed to have forgotten to breath as he listened to Marlon’s kind words. His eyes began to brim with tears and before he realised it he was moving towards the pair making his presence known. As he rounded the kitchen door, he found his mum hugging Marlon for all it was worth.  
  
“Can I get in on this?” he asked softly causing them to break apart in surprise.  
  
“Aaron!” Chas explained palming a hand over her own wet eyes, “We were just-“  
  
Aaron’s attention was on Marlon, who he nodded at in acknowledgement. He wanted to convey how much everything the chef had said meant to him. How the support was appreciated and it helped in ways he couldn’t explain. But the only words he managed were a simple, “Thanks, Marlon. It means a lot.”  
  
Marlon found he could only nod back.  
  
Chas laughed gently whilst looking between them, “This is going to ruin my makeup.”  
  
Marlon chuckled too but then after finally taking his attention off Aaron, he realised Chas may actually have a problem, “Er, yeah, perhaps I should mind the bar for a few minutes,” he said sending Aaron a knowing look before moving quickly around his mum.  
  
“Its not that bad, is it?” Chas asked her son once the chef had left.  
  
Aaron frowned and put an arm on his mum’s arm in order to gently guide her into the back room,“There is a bit of- let’s get you to a mirror, eh?”  
  
They passed a concerned looking Diane in the hallway hanging up her coat, “Chas, are you alright, you've-“  
  
“She’s fine,” Aaron stated not bothering to stop. He waited in the living room as his mum continued on to look in the mirror at the bottom of the stairs.  
  
“What? No, the woman said this mascara was waterproof. Lying cow.”  
  
Aaron winced but smiled as he heard his mum's shriek. They'd had their ups and downs but she was by his side now. He also had friends waiting for him in the bar. But it was the outburst of support and belief from Marlon that made his brain feel less cluttered than it had in a while. Marlon wasn’t someone he was overly close to; if he felt that way about Aaron then may be others did too.  
  
“Hey, hey, are you OK?” Aaron hadn’t noticed his mum re-enter the room but he looked up now to find her hovering, concerned as he'd seemed spaced-out.  
  
“You know what? I think I will be,” he said, echoing Marlon’s earlier reassurance, and he puffed out a breath, realising he actually believed his own words.  
...


End file.
